Wire chain-link



' (No Model.)

1? W. SMITH, Jr. WIRE CHAIN- LINK.

No. 435,327. Patented Aug. 26, 1890.

WITNESSES:

WK XWIJMM UNITED STATES PATENT (DFFICE.

FRIEND w. SMITH, JR, or BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

WIRE CHAIN-LINK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 435,327, dated August26, 1890. Application filed May 10, 1890. Serial No. 351,298. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRIEND W. SMITH, J r., a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WireChain- Links; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact-description of theinvention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has reference to chain-links which are made wholly from asingle piece of wire, but especially refers to the construction of awire link such as is peculiarly adapted for use in the manufacture ofwhat are commonly called trace-chains.

The object of my inventionis to sodispose of the ends of the wire in themanufacture of the link that they will be securely fastened as againstyielding to any draft or tensile test on the link.

In the description of my invention I will refer to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1is an elevation showing a plain straight piece of wire, from which mylink is made. Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 illustrate the successive steps whichare preferably followed in forming and shaping the link prior to thedisposal of the free ends. Figs. 6 and 7 are elevations of oppositefacesof my completed link. Figs. 8 and 9 are views similar to Figs. 6and 7, but showinga slightly-modified way of disposing of the ends ofthe wire; Fig. 10, a view similar to Fig. 6, but showing the ends of thewire locked within the openings of the loops; Fig. 11, a View similar toFig. 5, but showing the general shape of the link effected by bendingthe wire after the manner of an S-hook.

Similar letters denote like parts in the several figures of thedrawings.

A is the wire from which the link is formed. 1 preferably bend the wireinto U shape, as shown at Fig. 2, cross the ends, as shown at Fig 8,bend back said ends so as to interlock, as shown at Fig. 4, and thenbend the loop shown at Fig 4 at the line 00 w to form the double-loopedlink shown at Fig. 5. Preserving the interlocked condition of the wire,as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, I finally give the free ends a turn or c011around the side wires of the loops, as shown at Figs. 6, 7, 8,

and 9. The steps illustrated in Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are of course notessential, but merely show how my link can be formed, since I canreadily bend the wire shown at Fig. 1 into the shape shown at Fig. 5without going through the preliminaries shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4. Infact, the generic method which I follow in making my link consists inbending a piece of wire so as to form two loops-one at eachendinterlocking the free ends of the wire, and coiling or bending themaround the loop-wires. The only dif ference between the link shown atFigs. 6 and 7 and the link shown at Figs. 8 and 9 is that theinterlocked free ends of the wires are coiled in opposite directionsaround the side wires of the loops. Although actual tests havedemonstrated it to be unnecessary, still, if desired, the extreme endsof the wire may be inserted through the inner narrow openings of theloops to afford additional security as against displacement, as shown inFig. 10.

I will designate the interlocking point of the ends of the wire by a,the loops byb, and the coils by c. In bending the wire A to form thegeneral shape of the link it is immaterial whether the shape be as isshown in Fig. 5 or whether the wire is bent after the manner of an ordinary S-hook, as shown in Fig. 11, the gist of my invention resting inthe broad idea of interlocking the wires prior to coiling them aroundthe side wires of the loops, and not in the loops or the manner offorming them.

I claim 1. A chain-link made from-a single pieceof wire bent to formloops,the free ends of said ,wire being interlocked and then coiledaround the side wires of said loops, substantially as set forth.

2. In a chain-link made from asingle piece of wire and having a loop ateach end, the method of securing the free ends of the wire, consistingin interlocking said ends and then bending them around the loop-wires,substantially as set forth.

In testimon whereof I affix m v si nature in presence of two witnesses.

FRIEND W. SMITH, JR.

, Witnesses:

J. P. FINCH, R. C. AMBLER.

